Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Night Swim

What an intense read! The Night Swim is a unique twist on a crime thriller/legal drama! The podcast angle is interesting and intriguing. The plot had me feeling so many emotions; angry, sad, outraged, fearful and so many more. The blunt way Goldin delved into the divisive nature of rape cases, especially those where the accused and victim are known to each other was done so powerfully. The Night Swim was the first book I've read by Megan Goldin and I can't wait to read more! This is definitely one that I will be recommending!

Content Warnings

lilawsahar's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I listened to the audio book and I highly recommend! There were three narrators hired to read the book and they all did a remarkable job. I love how the chapters alternated between Rachel’s POV (the podcaster), Hannah’s letters (the sister of a tragic incident), and Rachel’s podcasts. Hannah’s letters had me at the edge of my seat every time. I loved how the two cases were tied together and the whole time I was thinking “who was Jenny’s murderer?”.

I can’t wait until the next book!!

Content Warnings

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

bookshelf_al's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

cassielaj's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

I cannot give this book a star rating. While the writing was good and the mystery compelling, this was a really challenging book to read, and it deserves more nuance than a 1-5 rating. This story is heavy. It is graphically detailed at times. It is tragic and disheartening and just the tiniest bit hopeful. And I honestly think it’s important. This book treats rape and sexual assault victims and trials in a way I haven’t seen enough in popular media, especially in the thriller genre, which often sensationalizes tragedy. It explores the challenges and injustices of the justice system when it comes to trying a sexual assault case. It explores class differences and politics in a small town and shows how power can be abused. It explores the guilt that can come with doing nothing to help someone in a time of need, and it explores redemption from the horrors of the past. I want to recommend it because it’s a good book, but I don’t want to because it was heavy. If you choose to read this, go in with as much information as you can, and be kind to yourself while you read it.

From a thriller perspective, I did find it a bit predictable, but overall I thought the mystery was well paced.

Content Warnings

kwoot7's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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